Scrap Heap

Don’t dump those kitchen scraps! Many supermarket vegetables can be grown from leftover bits or root ends; the list includes plenty of kitchen staples like lettuce, potatoes, garlic, ginger, celery, onions, and more. For rhizomes and tubers, such as ginger and potatoes, you can plant veggies that have several distinct sprouts, or "eyes." Plant either the entire vegetable or cut it into small sections that each have at least two eyes. For other vegetables, place the root end in a jar, then add enough water to cover the root without submerging the entire plant. Put the jar in a sunny spot, and within three to five days you should see some new growth. Transplant to pots, and keep well watered until the seedlings are large enough to move to the garden.